1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that is connected to a device and thereby realizes a predetermined function, a device to which the information processing apparatus is connected, an information processing system that comprises the information processing apparatus and the device, information processing programs that are executed by the information processing apparatus and the device respectively, and storage media storing the respective information processing programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an information processing apparatus such as an expansion card has been known, which is removably connected to a device such as a printer, and is used for connecting the device and a network. The information processing apparatus and the device store their own license codes. An application for expansion of the function of the device is stored in the information processing apparatus. When starting the application, the information processing apparatus compares the license codes stored in the device and the information processing apparatus, and starts the application only when these two license codes match. When the information processing apparatus is connected to a different device, the application stored in the information processing apparatus is prevented from being used by the difference device.
Further, there has been known a semiconductor device having an enhanced technical protection to prevent unauthorized use of a semiconductor device provided in an applied equipment, which unauthorized use is performed by replacing a semiconductor circuit board of the semiconductor device (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-073424) This semiconductor device is provided with a child board that generates a unique identification code when the semiconductor device is shipped as a product, and a parent semiconductor board having a nonvolatile memory that stores the identification code as a stored code. Then, when the semiconductor device is operated, the child board compares the identification code with the stored code, and if the two codes do not match, part of a predetermined circuit on the child board is inhibited from operating.
As described above, the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-073424 stores the code in the nonvolatile memory of the semiconductor circuit board when the child board having the predetermined circuit is mounted on the semiconductor circuit board to expand the functional capability of the semiconductor device. That is, this semiconductor device has its firmware changed when an information processing apparatus (child board) is mounted on a device (semiconductor circuit board).
However, there has been proposed a system in which information processing apparatuses for providing various capabilities are mounted on a device without changing firmware of the device. In such a system, the firmware of the device is sometimes incapable of handling information on a function inherent to the information processing apparatus. To enable such a system to look up the information unique to the information processing apparatus, it is preferable that the information is not stored in the device as in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-073424, but is stored in the information processing apparatus.
On the other hand, assuming that information such as a secret key (hereinafter referred to as “secret information”) is stored in the information processing apparatus, if the information processing apparatus which was connected to a first device and was in use is connected to a second device, the secret information is directly passed to the second device, which can cause leakage or unauthorized use of the secret information.
For example, there is an information processing apparatus that provides a wireless LAN capability. Even when it is desired to permit only the first device to access the wireless LAN, if the information processing apparatus holding authentication information necessary for connecting to an access point is detached from the first device and then connected to the second device, the second device can connect to the access point using the authentication information. Further, if the information processing apparatus holds secret information for use in encrypted communication over the wireless LAN, such information is easily viewed and used by the second device.
Further, if an unauthorized use-preventing technique is employed in which the information processing apparatus authenticates whether a combination of the information processing apparatus and an individual device is valid using license codes or the like as in the prior art, there arises a problem that the combination of the device and the information processing apparatus is difficult to change. For example, there can be a case where, even if secret information used for the combination of an information processing apparatus and a proper device will be unusable, the user sometimes desires to use the information processing apparatus in combination with a different device other than the proper device. To meet such needs, it is necessary to make the secret information in the information processing apparatus updatable according to a device which is used in combination with the information processing apparatus.
As mentioned hereinabove, in the semiconductor device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-073424, the identification information on the child board is stored in the memory of the parent semiconductor circuit board, and hence there remains room for improvement in terms of ease of license management such as giving permission to enable the operation of the predetermined circuit board on the child board.